Hey I am new to the forums and I am 12. I am looking at 2 club sets at Sportchek. They are the Alien Mens Enforcer Box Set and the Mens Dunlop T.D Plus 17pc Set. Here are the links Sportchek and Sportchek Dunlop By the way these will be my first set of clubs. I am 5'7 so will I need to get them fitted or should I be fine?

Thanks for any responses

First off, WELCOME to the site. glad you found the site.

Second, I would NOT recommend you buy ANY BOXED SET OF CLUBS. I con't care what brand or name, they are not going to be very good clubs. NONE OF THEM. What I would RECOMMEND, is that you buy a decent set of irons to start, and then you can add some woods and a driver AFTER, you get better. There are plenty of good sets of irnos you can buy for under $300. But not a full set of clubs for that price. I'd recommend one of 3 ways to go for a set of good irons. One, buy a set of name brand used irons.
Two, buy a set of good new OEM irons on sale, last years models are on sale at the end of the season most every where, Three, buy a set of Component irons or a lesser known OEM brand. One example is the Hireko Acer KX irons. Excellent clubs, and not that expensive. Or chekc out Golfsmith components and have a set built up to fit you. Either way is good.

As for getting fit for clubs, I'd recommend you go to a good golf shop and have them measure you for a set of irons. Should be free so the cost is good. ONly thing you really need to worry about in terms of fit for now, is club length. Don't worry about loft and lie adjustment until you get better, as your swing will be changing too much to get fit now.

I know one thing for sure and that is I can't spend $300. My birthday is coming up and I am hoping I get golf clubs. It doesnt really matter to me about how good the clubs are. I'll mostly just be going to the driving range with my Dad. I'll probably only be going to an actual course maybe once a month. I've never actually played golf on a real course yet but I am really interesting in getting into it. I just need a good beginner's set to start with and they have to be preferably under $200

Thanks

Check your local craigslist. you should be able to find a complete set for under $200 for decent clubs. Usually find alot of people selling them because they bought a brand new set as a beginner and found out they hate golf.

Chris, a men's standard set, if you are 5'-7" tall, will be fine. Looking on Craigslist (the category would be sporting goods) is an option but have your Dad help you with that, since there are a lot of creepy people out there.
I think for what you are looking for, you can certainly start out with that Dunlop set. Since you are going to get taller and stronger, you're going to need to get different clubs in a couple of years if you get serious about playing, so this "starter" set will do the trick just so you can figure out if you really like playing.

Unlike what others have just posted, I DON'T THINK you can find ANY DECENT set of clubs for under $200 new. YES, you can find a set of clubs for under $200, but not DECENT clubs. You will end up with cheap junk. Clubs that will break, shafts that will come out of the heads. Clubs that will be so poorly made, that they will make it HARDER for you to learn to play golf. This is exactly what you would be buying if you buy either of the two sets you mentioned. Cheap junk. Sorry, but that's my opinion, based of what plenty of other NEW golfers have told me from their experience with cheap starter sets.

Chris, ask YOUR DAD. Ask him how much a new driver costs. If he tells you most new drivers cost $300, he's correct. Then ask him what kind of quality clubs can YOU get for $200 for a FULL SET? I think you dad will tell you you can't expect much for $200 for a full set, when it cost $300 for ONE new driver.

Welcome Chris. I 3rd the notion of Craiglist as a starting point and I second the notion that the complete boxed sets are very poor quality. if all you plan to do is go to the range, then it may work fine but if you seriously take up the game you will be replacing that set within 18 months IF it lasts that long.

I do think used is the way to go. granted you won't get a complete set putter to Driver of GOOD gear for $200 but you can buy parts and add on later.

For example, on Craigslist in Denver, you can get a Taylormade R580XD driver + Titleist 585h hybrid (Stiff) for $99. Or I may say you COULD have. Could be gone by now.

So there's $100. Don't shoot me but go buy a $10 putter from Kmart/Walmart and it'll be fine for now.

That leaves you about $90 for irons which won't happen unless you get very old gear. But I did see some Callaway Big Bertha Irons 3-SW for $125 so that would be what, about $235 for a set with putter, minus shoes and a golf bag. Not a bad set for a beginner

These are just examples, but the key is to be realistic with your expectations. A good NEW current driver will cost you $299 but get a model a year or two old or used and that goes down. But if you buy a NEW complete set of clubs and a bag you could easily spend $800 or more. So getting that in a box for $199 has to tell you something.

Buy good used clubs a little at a time till you fill out the set. But you can find good clubs for a good price if you look.

Thanks a lot for all of the replies. My birthday is in 4 days so I guess I won't ask for them. I'll take your advice. I have been looking on Kijiji (Edmonton's Craigslist) and there are some pretty good deals. I'll post a link if I see a good set and see what you guys think. Your right $149 for a full set does seem kind of cheap. My main priority is getting a good set of irons like DON said. Then a Driver and a couple wedges. Your right about the putter. I've seen a Titleist Putter at Sportchek for $20 so I'm not to worried about that. Some of these golf websites like Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy have some not bad deals. Do they deliver to Canada and can they be reliable for delivery to Canada?

By the way does anybody trust eBay. Because there are a lot of good brand name iron sets for under $200 (used) and I was just wondering if I could trust that

I have bought and sold a lot of clubs on eBay. I have about 3 sets to list there soon as well. You can find good and bad deals on eBay sop just be careful. In general, if it's too good to be true, it probably is best to let it pass. Some people are selling counterfeit clubs so if you see new or mint Callaway's for $100, skip it. If the price seems way too low, look elsewhere. And review the PayPal Buyer's Protection rules and make sure you buy in a way that gives you the best chance to get your money back IF something goes wrong.

Out of all my transactions there, I only had one if-fy deal. The guy was selling me NEW Hogan irons shipped directly from the factory but it would take 3-4 weeks to get them. Well, once we hit 3 weeks and he was hard to reach, I started the Buyer's Protection refund process to get my money back (only have 30 days). That got him moving because PayPal was going to yank my money out of his account and give it back to me. Well somehow, Hogan didn't need 3 weeks to ship, the clubs arrived in 3 days. So I got my clubs but had to be smart about it. Most sellers aren't like that but read the seller's feedback before you buy.


Now, on Golf Galaxy and Golfsmith, I'm sure they'll ship to Canada or have Canadian stores but don't expect to find great deals on irons there. You can but you have to get lucky and find things in their outlet stores or clearance bins (in-store only). but worth checking. Most of their irons sell at retail. I think they do a better job of marking down the drivers, fairway woods, etc than they do their irons. Now, do join their advantage clubs as they'll send you coupons for say $50 off a $200 purchase. So if you do buy last years model irons, these coupons help even more.